Auburn's Jonathon Mincy (6) breaks up a pass intended for Florida State's Giorgio Newberry during the first half of the NCAA BCS National Championship game on Monday in Pasadena, Calif.

Written by

Dan Wolken
| USA TODAY Sports

All week, the Auburn Tigers had whispered about the fourth quarter. If they could just get there with a chance, if they could just hang around and put the pressure on Florida State, the same magic that had lifted them to all those improbable victories would once again kick in.

Monday night, as the clock wound to the fourth quarter at the Rose Bowl, Auburn was more than hanging around. It was beating the heavily favored Florida State Seminoles, pushing them around and making Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jameis Winston look like a jittery freshman on the biggest stage.